Jeff Daniels Never Wanted to Do Hamlet, but Atticus Finch Is ‘Role of a Lifetime’

Veteran actor relishes chance to work with Aaron Sorkin, who has written play based on ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’

By

Maya Sweedler

Sept. 6, 2018 9:00 a.m. ET

Don’t ask Jeff Daniels to bet against Aaron Sorkin.

The actor, musician and playwright is set to return to Broadway in Mr. Sorkin’s “To Kill a Mockingbird,” a new play based on the 1960 novel by Harper Lee. Mr. Daniels, 63 years old, will portray Atticus Finch, one of the most recognizable and revered characters in American literature.